Prague setting new rules for store signage in the historical center

City Councilor Hana
Třeštíková (Praha sobě), responsible
for culture and heritage preservation, has prepared rules
for marking establishments that will help reduce visual smog in
Prague’s
heritage conservation area. The new rules will be binding on all
city-owned buildings.

“The fight against advertising in Prague is mainly a fight with legislation, which is in many ways insufficient in the field of advertising regulation. If, for example, a shop does not have an advertisement display in front of the shop window but right behind the glass, it is no longer affected legislation, but the visual impression from the street is exactly the same as if the display was in front of the shop window,” Třeštíková said on the City Hall website.

“That is why we have prepared rules that will be included in the lease of operators [renting from] the city, and we will set an example in sensitive areas,” she added.

City Councilor Jan
Chabr (United Force For Prague), responsible for property, said he
hopes the rules can be expanded. “We will primarily implement the
newly created rules into lease contracts for urban non-residential
buildings. Furthermore, I am starting a dialogue with private owners
as well as with the Prague Chamber of Commerce about the possibility
of applying the rules to objects owned by private owners,” he said.

“The aim is to
have a comprehensive and tasteful appearance of the historic center
and the unification of the visual element of all establishments. At
the moment, some places in Prague are a disgrace,” Chabr added.

Other advertising
that the current legislation does not deal with includes window
stickers or advertising placed on the door. According to the new
rules, the corporate sign on the shop window should not exceed 20% of
the glass surface.

All-over
photographs, bold color graphics and other illustrations should
disappear from the company’s shields and stickers. Establishments are
to stop using reflective, fluorescent and otherwise garish elements,
as well as mass-produced inscriptions (such as “open” signs), and
flashing, rotating and otherwise moving inscriptions. Standardized
elements such as first aid, pharmacy or post will have an exception.

The rules should be
binding for all buildings owned by the city and municipal companies
that are located in the Prague historical reserve or are cultural
monuments. The City of Prague agreed on the rules with
conservationists, the Building Code Department, the Trade Licensing
Office and the Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR
Praha).

The rules for
labeling establishments bring together all the requirements, which
had previously been difficult for operators to find. The adoption of
rules will make the situation more transparent for entrepreneurs,
City Hall states.

“Prague is
beautiful, but in some places it is no longer visible under the ads.
In many Western cities, it is common for even large chains to reduce
the blaze of their logos so that shop windows do not disturb the city
atmosphere,” Třeštíková said.

There are some good
examples. “Also in Prague, we have a number of examples of
sensitive shop marking, which makes the architecture and spirit of
the house stand out, and the locals and tourists have an even more
enjoyable experience. We want to support this with new rules,”
Třeštíková said.

The principles will
become the basis of a manual for marking establishments. The manual
should be ready in spring 2020.